The present invention is related to a method and system to compress, and/or convert, audio and video signals, or files, into a static file format, and more particularly to a method and system to playback, and/or replicate, static audio files using a static audio player; and/or to playback, and/or replicate, static video files using a static video player.
Generally, computer file formats for digital audio (hereinafter referred to as a xe2x80x9cDynamic Audio Filexe2x80x9d), such as the AUI, WAV, etc. audio file formats, and digital video (hereinafter referred to as a xe2x80x9cDynamic Video Filexe2x80x9d), such as the MPEG video file format, are formatted in a dynamic manner permitting easy and routine editing, serving a very useful purpose in the music and movie industries. Unfortunately, the dynamic nature of these file formats results in the generation of very large computer file sizes (i.e. hundreds of millions of bytes in size for a 40 minute digital audio file of 44.1 kHz sound quality and multi Gigabytes of data for full length motion picture quality recordings in digital video form).
As example, each second of a CD quality Dynamic Audio File is divided into 44,100 discrete time intervals. Each of these time intervals can simultaneously contain multiple frequencies (i.e. pitch) of sound at multiple amplitudes (i.e. volume). The Dynamic Audio File instructs an audio playing device (hereinafter referred to as a xe2x80x9cDynamic Audio Playerxe2x80x9d) to play discrete frequencies/amplitudes at a rate of 44,100 times per second for CD quality sound. In a Dynamic Audio File, even if a string of consecutive time intervals contains identical frequencies and their related amplitudes, such an occurrence is irrelevant since the Digital Audio File format was designed, in part, to enable specific editing and/or dynamic manipulation of each individual time interval. The Dynamic Audio File fails to take advantage of redundancies within a string of consecutive time intervals which happen to repeat one or more identical frequencies and their related amplitudes.
Additionally, motion picture quality Digital Video Files are generally composed of about 30 video frames (images) per second. Each of these video frames are composed of a two dimensional, usually rectangular or square, grid of pixels. Each such pixel is capable of being colorized by complex, and/or basic, colors. Usually, a complex color is generated by mixing distinct shades of the basic colors red, green, and blue. The greater the number of distinct shades of these three basic colors, the greater the color definition of the video recording. It is common practice to use 256 distinct shades of the basic colors red, green, and blue in combination to create a palette of 16,777,216 unique complex colors, which is more than enough complex colors to display a motion picture quality recording. As example, each pixel contains a numeric entry ranging from 000 to 255 to define a distinct shade of the basic color red, a numeric entry ranging from 000 to 255 to define a distinct shade of the basic color green, and a numeric entry ranging from 000 to 255 to define a distinct shade of the basic color blue, all three of these shades of the basic colors red, green, and blue combine to identify a specific complex color from the palette of 16,777,216 possible complex colors (i.e. 256xc3x97256xc3x97256=16,777,216). Furthermore, the complex color white is defined, as is customary, as the mixture of the basic colors red255, green255, and blue255, where the subscript defines the distinct shade; and the complex color black is defined, as is customary, as the mixture of the basic colors red000, greeno000, and blue000. Using this manner to mathematically describe complex colors, red116, green000, and blue095 mix to generate a discrete shade of purple. This manner to mathematically describe complex colors will be used throughout the teachings of the present invention.
The Dynamic Video File instructs a video playing device (hereinafter referred to as the xe2x80x9cDynamic Video Playerxe2x80x9d) to display specific complex colors within each discrete pixel of each discrete video frame video frame of the video recording. In a Dynamic Video File, even if a string of consecutive video frames contains a pixel having the identical complex color, such a coincidence is irrelevant since the Digital Video File format was designed, in part, to enable very specific and independent editing or dynamic manipulation of each individual discrete pixel within each discrete video frame. The Dynamic Video File format fails to take advantage of similarities or redundancies within a string of consecutive video frames in which the color within discrete pixels remains constant over time.
Furthermore, use of the Dynamic Audio File and Dynamic Video File formats pose several problems when used to electronically distribute digital audio and digital video signals to the consumer markets (i.e. U.S. Pat. No. 5,191,573). The Dynamic Audio File and the Dynamic Video File formats, being very large as measured in bytes of data, require considerable time to transmit via telecommunications. Additionally, and as example, if the user desires to save Dynamic Audio Files in the home, a massive storage device would be required (i.e. 10 music albums of about 45 minutes in duration each, in AUI format, would require in excess of 7 Giga bytes of storage capacity).
The present invention offers a new and improved method and system to encode audio and video files in a static format for playback utilizing a static player. The static format takes advantage of consecutive redundancies within Dynamic Audio Files and Dynamic Video Files, with respect to time.
A static audio file (hereinafter referred to as the xe2x80x9cStatic Audio Filexe2x80x9d) is encoded in a format which records a plurality of discrete frequency/amplitude (sound) information to be played, and/or replicated, on an audio output device, and the related starting points each such frequency/amplitude is to be played, and/or replicated, for one or more consecutive time interval, with respect to time. The Static Audio File provides instructions enabling a audio playing device (hereinafter referred to as the xe2x80x9cStatic Audio Playerxe2x80x9d) to save, and/or replace, such frequency/amplitude information in a matrix of memory registers within the Static Audio Player. Upon instruction from the user, the Static Audio Player will commence the playback process whereby each such frequency/amplitude, generated from each such memory register, will commence to be played on an audio output device, commencing with a discrete time interval. The Static Audio Player continues to play, and/or replicate, each such frequency/amplitude, generated from each such memory register, on an audio output device in each subsequent time interval (generally about 44,100 time intervals per second for CD quality sound), without further instruction from the Static Audio File. If, and/or when, the Static Audio Player receives subsequent instructions from the Static Audio File to update the frequency/amplitude information in any such memory register with new frequency/amplitude information corresponding with a specific time interval, then the Static Audio Player will then play, and/or replicate, such new frequency/amplitude, generated from any such updated memory register, on an audio output device starting with a subsequent time interval.
A static video file (hereinafter referred to as the xe2x80x9cStatic Video Filexe2x80x9d) is encoded in a format which records color information to be displayed, and/or replicated, within discrete pixels on a video output device, and the related starting points each such color is to be displayed, and/or replicated, within each such pixel, for one or more consecutive video frames, with respect to time. The Static Video File provides instructions enabling a video playing device (hereinafter referred to as the xe2x80x9cStatic Video Playerxe2x80x9d) to save, and/or replace, such color information in a matrix of memory registers within the Static Video Player. Upon instruction from the user, the Static Video Player will commence the playback process whereby each such color, generated from each such memory register, will commence to be displayed within the corresponding pixel on a video output device, commencing with a discrete video frame. The Static Video Player continues to display, and/or replicate, each such color, generated from each such memory register, within each such pixel on a video output device in each subsequent video frame (generally about 30 video frames per second for full motion video), without further instruction from the Static Video File. If, and/or when, the Static Video Player receives subsequent instructions from the Static Video File to update the color information in any such memory register with new color information corresponding with a specific video frame, then the Static Video Player will then display, and/or replicate, such new color, generated from any such updated memory register, within the corresponding pixel on a video output device starting with a subsequent video frame.
The present invention pertains to a method for manipulating video or audio signals. The method comprises the steps of analyzing a video or audio signal having information and a size. Then there is the step of producing a representative signal from and corresponding to the audio or video signal that identifies the audio or video signal but has less information than the audio or video signal such that the audio or video signal cannot be produced from the representative signal itself and is smaller in size than the size of the audio or video signal. Next there is the step of transmitting to a remote location the representative signal. Then there is the step of recreating the audio or video signal from the representative signal at the remote location.
The present invention pertains to an apparatus for manipulating video or audio signals. The apparatus comprises means or a mechanism for analyzing a video or audio signal having a size. The apparatus comprises means or a mechanism for producing a representative signal from and corresponding to the audio or video signal that identifies the audio or video signal but has less information than the audio or video signal and is smaller in size than the size of the audio or video signal. The producing means or mechanism is connected to the analyzing means or mechanism. The apparatus comprises means or a mechanism for transmitting to a remote location the representative signal. The transmitting means or mechanism is connected to the producing means or mechanism. The apparatus comprises means or a mechanism for recreating the audio or video signal from the representative signal at the remote location. The recreating means or mechanism is connected to the transmitting means or mechanism.